Clean Water Act MethodsOverview of EPA’s CWA Method Activities

August 2017• Adrian Hanley, U.S. EPA

CWA Analytical Methods Program

• Many industries and municipalities are permitted under

the CWA NPDES program to discharge pollutants

• They use analytical methods to analyze the chemical,

physical, and biological components of wastewater and

other environmental samples

• CWA requires EPA, through rulemaking, to establish test

procedures to measure pollutants for CWA programs

• EPA promulgates test procedures in 40 CFR Part 136

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• Clean Water Act Methods Update Rule for the

Analysis of Effluent

– Proposed February 19, 2015

– 175 sets of comments received

– Originally signed on December 15, 2016

– Withdrawn from the FR, being reconsidered

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Method Update Rule (MUR)

• Proposed ~100 method revisions from

ASTM International and Standard Methods

• 6 Alternate Test Procedures (ATPs)

• 1 USGS Method (based off of an ATP)

• Revisions to Methods 608, 624, and 625

• Method Detection Limit (MDL) Revision

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2015 MUR Proposal Summary

CWA Microbiology

Method Activities

• Coliphage method

– Completed multi-laboratory validation for

wastewater and recreational water

– Method and study report forthcoming

• Human microbial source tracking

– ORD collaboration

– Completed multi-laboratory validation study for

recreational water

– Method and study report forthcoming

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CWA Chemistry Method

Activities

• Peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide

method

• Continuous monitoring – total residual

chlorine

• PCB congener method

• ATP reviews

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• Alternative antimicrobial

– Almost no residual – unlike chlorine

– Hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid byproducts

– Already in use at some POTWs

• Drafting white paper (pre-study plan)

– Received input from multiple vendors and

voluntary consensus standard bodies

• Colorimetric method most commonly used

• Must be performed onsite

– Degrades quickly

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Peracetic Acid and H2O2

• Total residual chlorine pilot study

• Based on EPA Drinking Water Method 334.0

• Recruited POTWs to generate side-by-side

data for monitors and an onsite lab

• One POTW currently compiling data

packages

– Next steps may include a multi-utility study

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Continuous Monitoring

• Single-laboratory validation goals:

– Identifies and quantifies PCB contamination using

individual congeners

– Improves sensitivity over Method 608, less

sensitive than typical laboratory background

– Implementable at a typical mid-sized full-service

environmental laboratory

• Single-laboratory testing completed

• Drafting method and study report

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PCB Congener Method

• Quantification– 29 carbon-13 isotope dilution standards

– Calibration of 65 congeners

– Other 144 congeners quantified indirectly

• Extraction– Tested 2 SPE procedures and 1 LLE procedure

– Tested Soxhlet extraction for biosolids, sediment,

and fish tissue

• Sensitivity– Aqueous MDL generally 0.2 to 1.5 ng/L (except

mono chloro congeners)10

PCB Cong. Method Cont.

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PCB Cong. Method Cont.

Aqueous Mean Matrix Spike Recovery

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PCB Cong. Method Cont.

Aqueous Min/Max Matrix Spike Recovery

• Want more details?

• See poster presentation!

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PCB Cong. Method Cont.

• Alternate test procedures (ATPs) for

nationwide use are submitted to EPA

HQ for review

– Codified at 40 CFR 136.4 and 136.5

• Protocols for EPA review of alternate

test procedures are available at:

https://www.epa.gov/cwa-

methods/alternate-test-procedures

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ATP Reviews

• Microbiology

– Cyanotoxin single-laboratory study

• Chemistry

– Multi-laboratory validation of PCB

congener method

– Multi-laboratory validation of 608.3, 624.1,

and 625.1

– Total nitrogen

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Anticipated Projects

Contact Information

For more information or additional

feedback, please contact:

Adrian Hanley, US EPA

CWA Method Team Leader

Office of Science and Technology

Office of Water

Phone: 202-564-1564

E-Mail: hanley.adrian@epa.gov

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